When Harbaugh does meet the press Thursday, it's not likely he'll address his own situation, vis a vis the old hot seat. He's under contract for this season and next, and he seldom pours out his heart on contract matters to us slobs holding notepads and cameras.

But the seat is heating. After three seasons of heartbreaking near-misses, most fans - and probably the boss - will be clamoring for the Big Hardware.

Worst-case scenario: The 49ers reach the Super Bowl and lose on the last play, stopped in the dreaded Red Zone.

They could miss the playoffs, knocked out by injuries and bad luck, and that would be disappointing to all. But to lose the Super Bowl - or a shot at the Super Bowl - again, by a credit card-thin margin?

That might spell the end of the 49ers' Harbaugh Epoch.

Am I being overly dramatic? Maybe. It's hard to shake off my decades doing summer stock. But we're not talking about Bruce Bochy and the Giants. The Harbaugh-49ers relationship will always be as roller-coasterish as a Kardashian marriage.

Example: Vernon Davis ended his zero-day holdout by reporting to camp Wednesday. The great man did not address the media. The four 49ers who did all said they were glad to see Davis in camp, after he had threatened to hold out.

Their collective enthusiasm level, I would say, was tepid. The 49ers know Davis is a bit of a diva, and that's no problem, but his offseason of pimping his "brand" might have caused some eye-rolling among teammates.

That's just one small area of concern. There are other, bigger challenges that make this season a big test for Harbaugh. Can he keep the team together, and highballing down the track, in the face of ...

-- Aldon Smith's legal situation. He's a powder keg that could blow up in a good way (on opposing quarterbacks) or a bad way (let's not even think about it).

-- The performance of QB-X, Colin Kaepernick. He was Harbaugh's baby from the very start, and this season they either prove that Harbaugh is a genius and a fearless innovator, or that he goofed big-time on the biggest decision of his 49ers career.

Kaepernick said Wednesday that he likes what offensive coordinator Greg Roman and Harbaugh have done with the playbook, which might have grown too fat and complicated.

"Generally we cleaned things up," Kaepernick said.

-- The new stadium. This won't affect the players much, because as Justin Smith said, all that matters to them is what condition the grass is in.

But it could affect them in this way: The stadium dramatically increases the pressure to win big. If you're Jed York, you don't build one of the Seven Wonders of the Athletic World, jack ticket prices through the roof, and sigh contentedly as your team goes 8-and-8. Wins will be more glorious in the new building; losses more soul-crushing.

-- Harbaugh's contract status. To his credit, the coach avoids any talk about his contract. But the current vogue in sports is for a coach/manager to feel extremely slighted if he has to actually play out the final year of a multi-year contract.

Harbaugh probably would like an extension, soon, so he can feel that the drastic improvement he has made in the team is appreciated upstairs. But York is probably jumping up and down and telling Harbaugh's agent, "Show me the Lombardi Trophy! Show me the Lombardi Trophy!"

York might be a reasonable owner. But his past statements indicate that he has inherited his uncle Eddie DeBartolo's sense of Super Bowl entitlement. Sort of like: We should win, because we spent a lot of money and we want it more than other teams do. Don't let me down!

Eddie D rode Bill Walsh like a balky mule. Eddie's nephew learned that even a rock-star coach is accountable.

It could develop into an interesting chess match, centering on the question: Who has done more for whom - York for Harbaugh, or vice versa?

There's one way to avoid all the drama and potential disaster: Go all the way.

Justin Smith stood beneath two shade trees Wednesday and talked about how nice it is to talk about your team's Super Bowl expectations without having to be delusional.

The 49ers not only expect to get there, they need to get there, and win, or face dire consequences.